Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1992. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-140). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2009. / ""Submitted to College of Business in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-117)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2003. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-194).

Ao considerar que as empresas de serviços contábeis não prestam somente serviços na área contábil, mas também nas áreas societária, trabalhista e tributária, dentre outras; que clientes de portes semelhantes geram serviços com dificuldades de elaboração diferenciada em razão da forma de tributação, da atividade exercida e de questões de organização interna de cada empresa, entre outros fatores; que muitos dos escritórios contábeis cresceram e hoje são considerados empresas de serviços contábeis e constituem um segmento de grande importância no cenário empresarial brasileiro, faz-se necessário estudos quanto aos custos dos serviços prestados, a fixação do preço de venda destes serviços e a análise da lucratividade de cada cliente. O presente estudo, que tem como objetivo de propor um modelo de mensuração de custos mensais para as empresas de serviços contábeis, com o intuito de viabilizar a análise da lucratividade de cada um de seus clientes. O trabalho parte de uma abordagem administrativa, com enfoque gerencial da empresa de serviços contábeis, identifica custos e despesas, utiliza-se de conceitos de diversos métodos de custeio para direcionar os custos a cada departamento da empresa de serviços contábeis e, consequentemente, a cada cliente usuário dos serviços. Identifica, portanto, os custos, compara com os preços de venda praticados, e analisa, individualmente, a lucratividade de cada cliente da empresa de serviços contábeis. / Considering that accounting services companies do not only provide services in accounting, but also in corporation, labor and taxation, and other fields, considering that clients of similar sizes generate services with special development difficulties due to the way they are taxed, the type of business being carried out, and matters of each company’s internal structure, among other factors, considering that many accounting firms grew and today are considered financial services companies which constitute a segment of great importance in the Brazilian business scenario, studies on the costs of services provided to each client are made necessary as well as fixing the selling price of services and profitability analysis of each client. The present study aims to propose a measurement model of monthly costs for businesses providing accounting services, it intends to facilitate the analysis of the profitability of each client. It comes from an administrative perspective, with a managerial focus on accounting services companies, it identifies costs and expenses and uses the concepts of various defrayment methods to direct the costs to each department of the accounting services company and therefore to each client user of the services. Therefore it identifies the costs, compares them with the sales prices, and analyzes individually the profitability of each client of the accounting services company.

Ao considerar que as empresas de serviços contábeis não prestam somente serviços na área contábil, mas também nas áreas societária, trabalhista e tributária, dentre outras; que clientes de portes semelhantes geram serviços com dificuldades de elaboração diferenciada em razão da forma de tributação, da atividade exercida e de questões de organização interna de cada empresa, entre outros fatores; que muitos dos escritórios contábeis cresceram e hoje são considerados empresas de serviços contábeis e constituem um segmento de grande importância no cenário empresarial brasileiro, faz-se necessário estudos quanto aos custos dos serviços prestados, a fixação do preço de venda destes serviços e a análise da lucratividade de cada cliente. O presente estudo, que tem como objetivo de propor um modelo de mensuração de custos mensais para as empresas de serviços contábeis, com o intuito de viabilizar a análise da lucratividade de cada um de seus clientes. O trabalho parte de uma abordagem administrativa, com enfoque gerencial da empresa de serviços contábeis, identifica custos e despesas, utiliza-se de conceitos de diversos métodos de custeio para direcionar os custos a cada departamento da empresa de serviços contábeis e, consequentemente, a cada cliente usuário dos serviços. Identifica, portanto, os custos, compara com os preços de venda praticados, e analisa, individualmente, a lucratividade de cada cliente da empresa de serviços contábeis. / Considering that accounting services companies do not only provide services in accounting, but also in corporation, labor and taxation, and other fields, considering that clients of similar sizes generate services with special development difficulties due to the way they are taxed, the type of business being carried out, and matters of each company’s internal structure, among other factors, considering that many accounting firms grew and today are considered financial services companies which constitute a segment of great importance in the Brazilian business scenario, studies on the costs of services provided to each client are made necessary as well as fixing the selling price of services and profitability analysis of each client. The present study aims to propose a measurement model of monthly costs for businesses providing accounting services, it intends to facilitate the analysis of the profitability of each client. It comes from an administrative perspective, with a managerial focus on accounting services companies, it identifies costs and expenses and uses the concepts of various defrayment methods to direct the costs to each department of the accounting services company and therefore to each client user of the services. Therefore it identifies the costs, compares them with the sales prices, and analyzes individually the profitability of each client of the accounting services company.

Ao considerar que as empresas de serviços contábeis não prestam somente serviços na área contábil, mas também nas áreas societária, trabalhista e tributária, dentre outras; que clientes de portes semelhantes geram serviços com dificuldades de elaboração diferenciada em razão da forma de tributação, da atividade exercida e de questões de organização interna de cada empresa, entre outros fatores; que muitos dos escritórios contábeis cresceram e hoje são considerados empresas de serviços contábeis e constituem um segmento de grande importância no cenário empresarial brasileiro, faz-se necessário estudos quanto aos custos dos serviços prestados, a fixação do preço de venda destes serviços e a análise da lucratividade de cada cliente. O presente estudo, que tem como objetivo de propor um modelo de mensuração de custos mensais para as empresas de serviços contábeis, com o intuito de viabilizar a análise da lucratividade de cada um de seus clientes. O trabalho parte de uma abordagem administrativa, com enfoque gerencial da empresa de serviços contábeis, identifica custos e despesas, utiliza-se de conceitos de diversos métodos de custeio para direcionar os custos a cada departamento da empresa de serviços contábeis e, consequentemente, a cada cliente usuário dos serviços. Identifica, portanto, os custos, compara com os preços de venda praticados, e analisa, individualmente, a lucratividade de cada cliente da empresa de serviços contábeis. / Considering that accounting services companies do not only provide services in accounting, but also in corporation, labor and taxation, and other fields, considering that clients of similar sizes generate services with special development difficulties due to the way they are taxed, the type of business being carried out, and matters of each company’s internal structure, among other factors, considering that many accounting firms grew and today are considered financial services companies which constitute a segment of great importance in the Brazilian business scenario, studies on the costs of services provided to each client are made necessary as well as fixing the selling price of services and profitability analysis of each client. The present study aims to propose a measurement model of monthly costs for businesses providing accounting services, it intends to facilitate the analysis of the profitability of each client. It comes from an administrative perspective, with a managerial focus on accounting services companies, it identifies costs and expenses and uses the concepts of various defrayment methods to direct the costs to each department of the accounting services company and therefore to each client user of the services. Therefore it identifies the costs, compares them with the sales prices, and analyzes individually the profitability of each client of the accounting services company.

Organisations are increasingly under pressure to meet financial and other objectives in dynamic and competitive markets, that are being driven more by services than by products. Marketing as a function needs to become more accountable with respect to the marketing investments that are made and the returns generated from these programmes, and hence to increase shareholder value. Intangible assets are comprising a growing proportion of this shareholder value, to the extent that 75% of the value of the organisation is currently made up of intangibles such as Human Equity, Brand Equity and Customer Equity. Thus the marketer needs to build the marketing-based intangible assets of Brand Equity, the inherent value of the brand, and Customer Equity, the sum of the lifetime values to the organisation of its current and future customers. To be able to monitor and manage marketing’s contribution, these assets need to be measured, and the effectiveness of marketing programmes needs to be determined ideally in financial terms, e.g. ROMI – Return on Marketing Investment. The purpose of this research study was to develop and test a framework of Customer Equity in the financial services sector, to guide marketing spend so that shareholder value is built by leveraging the marketing intangibles. Consequently, the objectives were to develop a model of Customer Equity, to calculate Customer Lifetime Value of customers in a segment, to determine the value drivers and the elasticity relation of Customer Equity, and finally to provide guidelines to organisations to improve their Customer Equity. The first area of research was in the field of Marketing metrics, the set of measures that helps organisations to understand their marketing performance. The recommendation for organisations is to develop a marketing dashboard, or range of key marketing indicators, which would include short-term performance measures, e.g. market share or customer satisfaction, as well as long-term planning measures, e.g. Brand Equity and Customer Lifetime Value. Brand Equity was then reviewed as a valuable intangible asset. Various models have been developed to explain the different sources, components and outcomes of ii Brand Equity, as it is a multidimensional construct. The measurement and valuation of Brand Equity was also researched, and its link to shareholder value. Customer Equity, an alternative market-based intangible asset that can be a driver of shareholder value, was also reviewed. The conclusion from a review of the models is that there are two schools: the Blattberg, Gupta and colleagues school, which tends to focus on internal analysis as typically used in direct marketing applications; and the Rust and colleagues school, which tends to focus externally on the customer and the competition. Both schools have something to contribute: the internal school, on accurate understanding of Customer Lifetime Value, and the external school, on the relative importance of the drivers of Customer Equity. This research also makes a contribution to the Brand Equity / Customer Equity debate, analysing similarities and differences, and developing a model to explain the trade-off between the two concepts. A combination of the two schools was used to develop a model of Customer Equity, including supply side inputs (for accurate CLTV calculations) and demand side inputs (for determining drivers and their elasticities). Using input from the databases of a financial institution, Customer Lifetime Value and Customer Equity for customers in the SME market sector were calculated. A convenience sample of 251 SME’s was interviewed on the demand side using a structured questionnaire, to develop data on the drivers of their importance and the relative performance of banks. A statistical model was then developed, using Principal Components Regression (PCR) analysis, to determine the drivers of Customer Equity, the factors influencing these and the relative sensitivities. A key contribution of this research was the development of the Probability of Defection as a measure of the dependent variable in the multiple regression. The model was tested by determining the ROI of two marketing programmes from the financial institution, to guide their marketing spend. Finally, a Customer Equity Management Process was developed to assist organisations in implementing a Customer Equity focus. / Prof. Chris Jooste

M.Comm.

M.Comm. / The aim of this study is to consider how to create tomorrow's financial services organisations. Information technology and business reengineering are important within financial services organisations and have a prominent role to play in using the long-term viability of the organisation. Customers' interaction with a new technology environment has resulted in higher levels of customer satisfaction with a corresponding demand for customised and specialised services instead of traditional standardised banking services. The constant challenge of all banks, however, should be to keep abreast of change by translating business intelligence into innovative strategies. Customer's demands will dictate the new wave of banking for years to come. Ultimately, the change will come in whatever form the market and consumers demand. Business success therefore depends not only on the development of an excellent strategy but also on its effective execution. With the best will in the world, companies can develop a convincing strategy to take business forward, provide excellent products and expand the customer base. Unless companies have the appropriate supporting cultural and technological skills to enable rapid and efficient response to customers' needs, they will undoubtedly fail. Another aspect that is discussed in the thesis is the close interrelationship between marketing and business requirements in product innovation within the banking industry, specific to customer demands. The objective of this study is to give an insight into better-informed decisionmaking and the important role that business process re-engineering can play as an overall strategic resource in financial services companies to gain a competitive advantage. The efficient and effective use of information as a strategic resource in a financial services company is becoming more and more important. The real competition is for market share and trying to satisfy the needs of customers. Finally, the aim of this study is to address the importance of how to obtain a better return on information, for managers to make informed decisions that are better, quicker, more accurate and timely.

Magister Educationis - MEd / This case study explored the lessons arising from the implementation of the Insurance Preparedness Project. This was a pilot project funded by the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority as part of a strategy for transforming the insurance industry and to establish a model for learnership implementation.Financial services industry. / South Africa